Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 is worse. Much worse. The teams are better, sure. It’s just that… oh, you’ll see. I feel bad, yet I apologize for nothing. More Road Ahead Indiana Last year: 4-8 (2-7 B1G), no bowl game Recap: In last year’s preview, I compared Indiana’s 2021 season (favorably, to be fair) with the Plague of Justinian. And by that standard, 2022 Indiana was pretty good. Way fewer boils. Significantly less vomiting. Generally less mass death and decay. Indiana was still bad. Their two P5 wins⁠—over Illinois in the opener and Michigan State in mid-November⁠— were best described as “inexplicable.” Against Michigan State, they completed ZERO passes in regulation and managed to win. But they won. Which still counts. And they played Maryland, Rutgers and Nebraska close, and hung with Michigan for about 2.5 quarters. Now they’ve been gutted by graduation and the portal. It might be Plague Time once again. When last we saw them: Of all Michigan’s mediocre first halves in 2022, this one was EASILY the most explicable. Mike Hart collapsed on the sidelines in scary-ass fashion in the first quarter ⁠— reportedly as the result of a seizure, but I don’t believe that was ever confirmed ⁠— and the team seemed out of sorts for the rest of the half. Michigan pursued Connor Bazelak mercilessly in the second half (Seth’s UFR Pressure grade was +57/-3, which, and I quote, “Yikes, Indiana”; the Hoosiers fired their OL coach THE NEXT DAY) while outscoring the Hoosiers 21-0. This was basically Connor Bazelak’s entire day [Barron] This team is as frightening as: That feeling where you are half asleep and you can’t figure out if that gnawing anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach is a legitimate “did I turn off the stove” fear or a dream-induced “my 3rd grade teacher is suddenly my boss and says I didn’t turn in my homework” fear.  Fear Level = 4 Michigan should worry about: It’s been a long time since we had a Stupid Indiana game. A very long time. A suspiciously long time. We haven’t had a game decided by fewer than 17 points since 2018, and even the 2018 game wasn’t THAT stupid. Where’s the “double overtime game where you scored on the last play of regulation” or the “Jeremy Gallon has 369 yards receiving” or the “John O’Korn throws for fewer than 60 yards in consecutive wins?” It’s out there. Lurking. Waiting. Hoping we drop our guard. Michigan can sleep soundly about: Indiana might have the least talented Big Ten roster outside of Evanston. When they play Michigan: One last calm, stress-free fall afternoon before The Great Puckering commences in earnest. First game: vs. Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., CBS [AFTER THE JUMP: Look… I’m sorry, okay?]